First Trip in super betty

[bowmaga]

Well me and the boys took super Betty on her first trip.  We've worked on her pretty hard the past 4 weeks.  Got her old windows out, reframed and reskinned, 7 new sliding windows installed, repainted trims and got the 21' awning installed.  Inside was rough, but it was all 2x4's and osb.  I did get the 300 gallons of freshwater tanks and 300 gallon of black and grey water tanks plumbed.  Installed a 32x32 shower, porcelain toilet, bath cabinet and sink.  Framed two bunks and framed in and sat the two jack knife couches.  set some temp kitchen cabinets and a countertop and the inside was ready to role......ready enough for me and 4 days of nothing but beer and racing.  underneath...the day we left, i finally hooked up our 4000 watt microlite genny, our 8 house batteries and the 2500 watt inverter about 2 hours before we left.....amazingly....everything worked.  She ran good, felt alot different than our old skoolie....the air ride makes it feel like we are floating rather than the feeling that the axel is attached to the frame.  She's got her leaning issue back though...but she sat for 3 weeks without moving it.  So, she didn't drive bad up there, but after we parked and she sat over night, the drivers side squatted hard, passengers side was still up....she had a 5" lean to the left.  I told everyone i planned that to give us more head room under the awning.  Our neighbors thought she was going to tip over.  I thought the lean wasn't going to be a problem until i took my first shower....after that the 12 ton bottle jack came out and i got her up another 4", and then got some more blocking under her.  We'll have to break down and replace the rear two leveling valves and i think the problem will be solved.  Watched the truck race and the cup race from the roof....i now am not worried about putting on a roof deck....she's plenty tough enough.  Just need to figure out how build one neatly.   Had fun....no regrets on getting this big monster....but we didn't have any major problems either!!!!

Greg

[Chaz]

Excellent! Congrats!!Hopefully there will be allot more races for you and "your girl" in the future. If all goes well, Bristol will be my first.

   Chaz

[jjrbus]

Sounds like you did a lot of work!!!!!  You can put a manual air leveling system in fairly easy.  They are easy to make or somebody around here sells a ready made setup.  Much better than just fixing the valves.

[bowmaga]

we are considering the manual air system.  one of the owners has researched it pretty heavily and says he can put all the parts together including a control panel for around 125.  I myslef concentrated on other things to get more done.  I guess i thought about doing both.....replacing the leveling valves and installing that systems, but i guess if the new leveing system was there that would control the problem.  I thought i had the one side loosened up to where it was going to work ok....but she went back to her leaning ways.

[jjrbus]

If all you have is bad valves the maual sytem will "fix" it.  If you have leaking beams, you will have to add a compressor or plate the beams.

[compedgemarine]

my how a couple of months changes things. wasnt it not long ago you were ready to haul it to the scrapyard? now you are partying at the races in style. I am a little annoyed that you are out using yours so quickly as I have another year to get to that point. of course I have an Eagle so I have a few hundred feet of steel left to replace. glad to hear she is working out after all the frustration.
steve

[bowmaga]

yes...it was about the second week of April when at one time i thought she was a big 30,000 pound serious problem....that was going to suck me dry of money and time.  But with a little help from you guys and some encouragement to ask questions and for help to anyone and everyone....we got things figured out and fixed.  A lot of work has been done...my wife is finally starting to like me again.  But now that we have her functionable, we are going to slow down on her.  we can use her as is...and that's the important thing. 

As for the leveling problem....I'm fairly certain its the drivers rear leveling valve....when we were working on the tag and i had her rear end up in the air to work on her, i should have just replaced them.  As she sat in my driveway I would air it up nightly and then let it air down, and the more i worked it up and down...the better i got.  Then in a process to loosen the tag axle with weight of the bus I jacked the rear end up to where the bumper was at least 40" off the ground and then set a jack under one side in hopes the weight of the bus would snap the tag loose from its stuck position.  I think when i jacked it up this high it put more motion in that leveling valve than she had seen in years, cause the next night when i got home and realized the bus hadn't moved the tag, i gave up pulled the jacks out and set he back down.....aired it up....and she was level.  after that, for the next few days she held air real good.  We then took her for a drive, fixed her tag, and then took her to the farm to start the renovation where she sat for 4 weeks with no movement.....that's where i think she squatted back down and isn't coming back out with out manually jacking her up past as i did before.  At least that's my findings so far.  I could be totally wrong, but that's my hopes for the issue.  We are investigating putting our own system together for the manual leveling system.  Something digital....for the read out.  I'm not in charge of this project so I'll be happy to see what the other owners come up with and when they get it done.  If we can't piece one together we will be going with the system put together by RTS.

Next on the list of travels is Country Concert 2008 in Fort Laramie Ohio, then a Jimmy Buffet concert in Indianapolis.  I think Super Betty is a keeper.  My wife even order up some  T-shirts that say Betty's Bitches for all the wives that go on her future trips.  Good times to come.....with hopefully no problems!!!!

[Dallas]

Greg,

We would love to meet with you somewhere around Ft. Loramie, but with our other commitments, we won't be able to attend the concerts.

Maybe the day before or one of the days after we could take a look at your coach for you. right now, and for the next bit, we'll be in Trenton, Oh. not far from Dayton. Let us know if maybe we can find a spot to meet and spend a day telling lies!

Dallas

[bowmaga]

I'll see if i can put something together....the only thing holding me back is the bus load of hung over, sun burnt people, who don't love to talk busses as much as i do and want to get home!!!!...or the bus load of people who want to get drunk and sun burnt before the event whom don;t want to discuss leveling systems and water tanks and roof decks.  It will be 3 bus owners on this trip, 2 wives, two extra couples, and a girlfriend, along with meeting up with another twelve people down there.  we have 3 campsites reserved as we normally do.  ample amount of party room for us drunkards....I'd love for you and the bus spirits that follow you around, to come wave a magic wand over my bus and fix all her little problems and add one of the fold out stages i just read about!!!  we'll meet up sooner or later!! 

[Blacksheep]

Dallas it wouldn't take a day! Just one would do!
Bs